. . . have we seen this side of the Cochran Library:
(Click on all photos to view them larger.)
This photo dates from just before construction began on the Dana wing of the library. You can see that the door in the center once had French doors in it, much like the doors in the Browsing Room. There was also a small iron balcony.
Here is our view of the backside of Cochran today:
And a closer view:
Different angle:
The destruction crew began removing the outer brick walls of the Dana wing over the weekend. They’ve almost completely cut Dana away from the original library building. In this first photo you can see the opening between the two buildings indicated by red arrows and bracketed by red lines. Without the red lines I think the opening is too difficult to spot. Click on the photo to make it bigger.
There is a gap between Dana and the back of the Library now.
Here is the bare-backed view of Dana today.
A small machine with a jackhammer is inside the 3rd floor.
There is a small machine with a jackhammer attached to its nose inside the 3rd floor. Workers are using it, and a small backhoe, to push debris out of the side of the building.
A large chunk of Dana is falling out the side.
As you can imagine, we are enjoying another jackhammer symphony today in the Powell Reading Room!
At 5pm today the library will hold its 3rd annual celebration of the Day of the Dead. In Latin America the Día de los Muertos is celebrated as a way to honor those who have died in the preceding year, and earlier.
Please bring photographs of deceased loved ones, or photos of your favorite celebrities who have died, to place on the altar in the library. There will be refreshments and a brief talk.
The Day of the Dead altar in the library today.
Cakes and caramels we will enjoy this afternoon at 5pm.
The CLAW has arrived at the Cochran library today and is pulling down the center section of the old patio behind the Dana wing of the library. It ripped through the 30 foot pile of trash stacked there and didn’t stop until it left a gash in the red earth beneath the patio. RUN FROM THE CLAW!
The CLAW rips through trash, slate and bricks like a claw through butter.
At first I thought we had a Halloween mystery on our hands. I wandered into the Browsing Room and was shocked to see an empty wall above the fireplace. WHERE IS MRS. COCHRAN?!
I ran to ask Lisa where our beloved Mrs. Cochran went. Lisa told me she was taken out of the Browsing Room to keep her safe during the destruction phase of the library renovation. What a relief! I thought the banging and rumbling had driven her away . . .
Mrs. Cochran is GONE!
We got a photo today from the architects from inside Dana, where all the destruction is happening. First – the view from inside the library. This is the door in the Browsing Room that leads into the Periodicals Room. The door is locked, but before it was locked, it opened onto a sheet of plywood.
Door inside the Browsing Room that used to lead into the Periodicals Room.
And now – the view of that door from the Dana side:
The door that leads into the Browsing Room from the Periodicals Room.
Yes – that’s what the periodicals Room looks like inside today.
The noise coming from Dana is like a jackhammer orchestra in the main reading room of the library today.
Jackhammers on the roof of Dana today.
For a live view of the action, click here.
Rebecca, the library intern
Hi! Rebecca the library intern here reporting that the demolition of Dana Wing has begun and can be viewed on the livecam here: http://198.28.38.207/control/userimage.html. Unfortunately, the demolition is not being done via dynamite, cannons, or fire-breathing dragons, so explosions and/or damsel-capturing will not be forthcoming. We’ll keep you posted on the progress of the library renovations as it unfolds!
A few more images from inside Dana just before the destruction began:
Closet that held part of the network was emptied.
The important things, like assault water guns, were moved via book truck to other parts of the building.
The old door from the periodicals room into the ILL office was boarded up.
This was taken from almost the same angle as the photo above it, one month earlier.
The window in the Vincent Room is boarded to protect it while Dana comes down.
Ashley & John have moved their offices downstairs.
Removing shelving from the 2nd stack area of Dana in September.
Bye-bye Dana wing!
